Savor Detroit Spring 2016

You know I love a fun night on the town and the dinners that Hour Detroit presents twice a year are beginning to be some of my favorites. For five nights they pair two chefs together to create edible masterpieces.  It’s a fun event that is very social.  The atmosphere is great and the food is even better.

I chose to attend the dinner with Luciano Del Signore from Bacco Restaurant locally in Southfield and Tom Lents from Sixteen Restaurant in Chicago.  There was great music all night long from Matt Kysia.  He sang so many great songs from Adele to Prince.  I was singing along all night.  He was cute too – maybe he’s single???

But the food is the real star and why we all head to the event.  The evening began with a terrine of corned squab and smoked foie gras from Chef Tom.  It was presented beautifully and garnished impeccably.  I’d never had foie gras before and can say with certainty this won’t be the last time I try it.  It was melt in your mouth silky smooth.  The sour cherries, artichokes, and green almonds that accompanied it were stellar.

Next was a rabbit agnolotti from Chef Luciano.  It may be the best thing I have ever eaten in my life.  Piping hot, the fresh pasta was tender and filled with a delicate rabbit mixture.  The fava bean cream, salty pecorino, and huge slice of crispy guanciale made the dish perfect.  Seriously perfect.  I am still craving the dish over a week later.

The third course was Chef Luciano’s orata fish with all the flavors of spring: peas, ramps, onions, and fennel.  They are some of my favorite foods and were presented in such a fresh way that allowed them to really shine through.  Though a substantial portion of fish was on the plate, the vegetables were the true star, which made me very happy.

Poussin with charred leek puree, fiddlehead ferns, and morels was the fourth course.  The charred leek puree was fabulous, but I must admit some of the poussin was a bit pink, which was concerning to me.  We have been taught that pink chicken is bad.  The next day however, Mom chatted with both Chef Luciano and Chef Tom about the dish.  They both assured us that the poussin was sourced from a farmer who has no issues with food borne illnesses.

Chef Tom went on to explain that the pinkness was because he sous vide the poussin and did not mean that it wasn’t cooked.  He said when he creates dishes he sends them to food labs to be tested and ensure they are safe for consumption since he uses cutting edge techniques.  We learned so much from the conversation.  It really made me respect Chef Tom and made me wish he would have warned us at the event that the poussin may be a bit pink because I really would have liked to have eaten it.

Dessert was beautiful but loaded with chocolate, so I couldn’t indulge.  But the wine pairings from Joe’s Produce were stellar and the coffee from the Detroit Coffee Company was the perfect way to end the evening.  It was the best cup of coffee I have ever had.

Though I cannot say I am excited for fall itself, I am already looking forward to the next set of Savor Detroit dinners this fall.